


I've Built My Life Around You

by stolen_pen_name23



Series: Whumptober 2020 [12]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Genre: Anakin Skywalker Needs a Hug, Angst, Blood Loss, Blood and Gore, Blood and Injury, Force Healing (Star Wars), Gen, Hiding Medical Issues, Hurt Anakin Skywalker, Hurt Obi-Wan Kenobi, Hurt/Comfort, Hypothermia, Injury, Natural Disasters, Obi-Wan Kenobi Needs a Hug, Protective Obi-Wan Kenobi, Sick Character, Sickfic, Whump, but let's be honest Obi-Wan and Anakin are the real natural disasters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-09
Updated: 2020-11-24
Packaged: 2021-03-08 20:14:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,066
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27472567
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stolen_pen_name23/pseuds/stolen_pen_name23
Summary: On a relief mission, Anakin and Obi-Wan get caught up in a natural disaster. This is a late prompt fill for Whumptober 2020: hiding an injury.
Relationships: Obi-Wan Kenobi & Anakin Skywalker
Series: Whumptober 2020 [12]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1951717
Comments: 32
Kudos: 211
Collections: Whumptober 2020





	1. Take It Down

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is the last whumptober prompt I worked on in October! I had a lot of fun participating this year, so I'm excited to be finishing off this little collection. I'm also excited about some ideas I have coming up for post-whumptober! Anywaaay this fic takes place while Anakin is still a padawan, but I'd say this is not that long before AOTC. Enjoy!

It was raining on Melchior. 

For the people of Melchior, this was nothing out of the ordinary, but for the two Jedi painstakingly making their way up one of the planet’s steepest peaks, it was quite a miserable existence. 

Melchior was a heavily forested and mountainous planet. Every year brought a rainy season, but the planet’s people never experienced one quite like this. The non-stop precipitation had caused numerous landslides to plague the planet. One massive landslide, in particular, had cut off the only main road in and out of a village located high on one of the planet’s mountains. The steep ground, the heavy fog and rain, and the thick forest made it impossible to land a ship in the village. This meant the village could only be accessed by foot or on the backs of fathiers, and they were quickly running out of food. Obi-Wan and Anakin just so happened to be in the area at the time.

The Master and Padawan pair had been charged with bringing rations to the villagers that would support them until the main roads had been cleared. They had borrowed some fathiers from a town at the bottom of the mountain and had loaded them up with as many rations as the animals could safely carry. It would likely take them the whole day to reach the village, so the pair had started their journey up the mountain’s side early in the morning. 

It was now mid-day. Obi-Wan and Anakin had paused briefly to each eat a ration and to give the fathiers a short break. The two sat side by side under a tree that was mostly protecting them from the rain, though the occasional fat raindrop would land on their heads. 

Obi-Wan coughed into his elbow.

“Are you alright, Master?”

“I’m fine, Anakin. Just ready to reach this village.”

They didn’t stop for long, preferring to get back in the saddle and get the whole thing over with. It had been raining the whole day and both Master and Padawan were soaked through. The farther up the mountain they got, the colder it got. They were both miserable and cold, but they had a job to do. 

Neither of them spoke much on the way up. They could only ride single file on the narrow trail so if they had anything to say, they communicated it through their bond. That being said, their bond had remained mostly quiet throughout the journey. 

The combination of the weather and the gentle rocking of the fathiers had made both of them drowsy. They were both fighting losing battles with sleep on their saddles. Anakin’s fathier tripped on a rock, jolting Anakin roughly and forcing him to fully wake up. A spike of adrenaline coursed through him and a short burst of alarm had passed between their bond. At this, Obi-Wan snapped to attention and turned around to look at his Padawan. 

_Are you alright, Anakin?_

_Yes, sorry, I’m fine. He just tripped._

_Alright, just be careful._

Anakin nodded his assent.

The two continued on the path, silently wishing they were anywhere but here. They traveled up switchback after switchback and tried to ignore the wet and the cold that had by now seeped deep into their bones. Obi-Wan felt bad, but he felt worse for his Padawan who he knew struggled with the cold. Obi-Wan could sense Anakin’s misery through their bond and he could only hope that Anakin didn’t sense his. 

Suddenly, he felt a strong warning in the Force. The land below them was starting to tremble ever so slightly. He looked back at his Padawan who was staring at him with widened eyes. 

_Obi-wan, we need to get out of here._

Obi-Wan didn’t need to be told twice.

“Yah!” Obi-Wan shouted at his fathier, and Anakin did the same. The fathiers ran as fast as they possibly could, but they weren’t fast enough. 

Obi-Wan looked up in horror at the deluge of mud and trees and rocks hurtling its way towards him and his Padawan. 

“Brace yourself!” Obi-Wan shouted before he and Anakin were swept away by the landslide. 

* * *

_Obi-Wan! Master! Where are you? Obi-Wan!_

The panicked cry from Anakin’s side of the bond woke Obi-Wan up with a gasp. Pain flared in his side. He focused on taking steadying breaths.

_Master! I need you, where are you?_

Anakin’s side of the bond was dripping in pain and fear. 

_Anakin?_

A wave of relief passed through their bond. 

_Master, are you alright?_

Obi-Wan looked down at himself and for the first time noticed a tree branch sticking out of his abdomen. The pain he had been feeling sharpened and he threw his head back with a groan.

_Master?_

_Padawan…_

_Master, what’s wrong? Where are you?_

_Nothing you need to worry about Padawan. And I’m not sure. Where are you?_

_I’m trapped… my leg... it’s…_

A sharp wave of pain passed from Anakin’s side of the bond. 

_Hold on Padawan. I’ll come to you._

Obi-Wan gritted his teeth and gripped his hand around the branch. Centering himself, he quickly pulled the branch out. A scream ripped from his throat.

_Master?_

_It’s… it’s alright, Anakin. I’ll be there soon._

Obi-Wan put a hand over the wound and felt warm blood leaking out of it. He grimaced. It was bleeding, but not too fast. He’d be fine for a little while. 

_Obi-Wan?_

_Yes, Padawan?_

_I think I heard you, I think you’re below me._

“Anakin!” Obi-Wan shouted out loud to test the theory.

“Obi-Wan!”

Obi-Wan grinned. At least they weren’t separated too far from each other.

Obi-Wan gingerly stood up. He was covered in mud and blood but he paid it no mind. He looked around until his eyes landed on his fathier. The fathier was also covered in mud, but she seemed relatively unscathed. She was standing outside of the mudslide, nibbling on some leaves. 

Obi-Wan stumbled over to her and grabbed her harness. He guided her up the side of the landslide until his eyes landed on his Padawan. 

The other fathier was laying on top of Anakin’s right leg. Apparently, Anakin hadn’t been able to get his feet out of the stirrups in time as his left leg was still visible on the fathier’s side. Blood covered the right side of Anakin’s face and was matted into his short Padawan cut. 

Anakin’s fathier was dead, its legs a mangled mess and a deep puncture wound in its stomach. Obi-Wan tied his own fathier to a nearby tree and made his way over to Anakin, his boots sinking in the mud with every step. 

“Anakin,” Obi-Wan whispered as he knelt by Anakin’s side. 

“Master? What happened?”

“Looks like we got caught in one of Melchior’s infamous landslides,” he said grimly. “Are you alright? Where are you hurt?” 

“My head hurts,” Anakin answered dazedly. The gash just above his eye could probably be blamed for that. Obi-Wan examined it carefully, dabbing one very small, clean section of his robe on the wound. Anakin winced.

“Sorry, Padawan,” Obi-Wan said sympathetically. He then looked at the fathier. “I need to get this thing off of you.”

Obi-Wan gently pulled Anakin’s left foot out of the stirrup. He then tried pulling the dead fathier off of Anakin, but a sharp yelp from Anakin and an even sharper pain in his side made him stop. He panted shallowly and tried to even his breathing. He centered himself in the Force and levitated the dead animal off of his Padawan. As soon as Anakin was free, he let it go unceremoniously. 

Anakin remained where he was. Obi-Wan immediately saw why. 

Anakin’s right leg was bent at a rather unnatural angle. Obi-Wan winced.

Anakin just whimpered slightly, tears leaving clean tracks through the mud and blood on his face. He was too confused, too cold and in too much pain to care about what his Master thought of him. 

“Oh Anakin,” Obi-Wan whispered. He sat down next to his Padawan and tried to think of a plan. 

The people of the village were relying on them. They needed those rations. And at this point, they were closer to the village at the top of the mountain than they were to the one at the bottom. He made a decision.

“Alright, Anakin. I need you to wait here for just a second.”

“Master please,” Anakin whined. “Don’t leave me here.”

“I’m not leaving you anywhere, I just need to get these rations onto my fathier. Then I’ll get you situated, alright?”

“Alright,” Anakin said through a shaky breath.

Slowly, Obi-Wan dragged the large saddlebags carrying all of the rations from the dead fathier to his. One-by-one, he fastened the bags to the animal. _I’m sorry,_ he projected at the animal. She huffed but didn’t otherwise reject the extra weight. 

He returned to Anakin and was alarmed to see him asleep and shivering in the mud. 

“Anakin! Wake up!” Obi-Wan shouted, shaking Anakin’s shoulders.

Anakin groaned. 

“Come on, I need you to stay awake for me.”

“Mmm’kay,” Anakin slurred. He fluttered his eyes open. Obi-Wan noticed his pupils were two different sizes and his gaze was unfocused. 

“This isn’t good,” Obi-Wan said to himself. 

Gently, Obi-Wan placed Anakin over his shoulder and gingerly made his way to the fathier. It was slow going, his boots constantly sinking deep into the mud, but he eventually made it. 

“I need you to help me out, Anakin,” Obi-Wan said through gritted teeth. “I need to get you on the fathier.” 

Anakin nodded his assent and put his good foot in the stirrup. With Obi-Wan’s help, they were able to gently settle his broken leg on the other side of the animal. 

With Anakin secured, Obi-Wan walked to the front of the animal and untied her harness. He guided her back up to the trail, thankful that the landslide hadn’t taken them too far down. 

After a while of walking down the trail, Anakin seemed to notice that Obi-Wan was not on the fathiers back. 

“Hey, why are you walking?” Anakin questioned.

“She’s already carrying the extra rations. She can’t very well carry both ration supplies, a teenager and a fully grown man all the way up this mountain.” 

“Why don’t we just leave some of the rations behind?”

“These people need these rations to survive. I can manage.” 

“Master…”

“This isn’t up for discussion, Padawan.”

Anakin sighed. He didn’t have the energy or mental clarity to argue with Obi-Wan. He continued to shiver and tried to ignore the rain that was still pelting them from above. 

* * *

Obi-Wan dropped his robe. It wasn’t doing him any good anyway. It was drenched, torn and covered in mud. It was too heavy and was just making him colder. 

“That’s the third one you’ve lost this month.”

“I didn’t lose this one,” Obi-Wan fired back. “It’s ruined, not lost. There’s a difference.”

“The temple seamstress is going to have your head.”

“Yes, I suppose she won’t be thrilled with me.” 

Anakin smiled drowsily. His eyelids were heavy and he was leaning forward unnaturally in the saddle.

“Hey, hey you need to stay awake,” Obi-Wan said, snapping his fingers at Anakin. 

“I’m tired.”

“I know, Padawan, but we’re almost there.”

  
In truth, Obi-Wan was fighting off his own growing exhaustion. Every step felt heavier and heavier. He had a growing headache and the wound in his side _hurt_. The pain in his side only became worse every time he coughed, which was becoming more frequent. But one look at his Padawan and he had all the motivation he needed to keep going, even as he became lightheaded and nauseous. He valiantly trudged on through the mud and the cold and the pain.


	2. Time Makes You Bolder

Darkness had swept through the forest. 

The clouds blocked out any moonlight and Obi-Wan was relying on his connection to the Force to guide him and the fathier along the steep and dangerous trail. The rain had not relented and the temperature had plummeted even further as night fell and as they got higher up the mountain. He shivered violently and his fingers were starting to feel numb. He coughed and was not able to hide the sharp gasp of pain when it tugged at the wound in his side.

“Master?”

“I’m… I’m al-alright, Padawan,” Obi-Wan said through chattering teeth. Dizziness threatened to knock him off his feet but determination held him steady. 

“Are we almost there?”

“Y-yes, Pada… padawan, we’ll be there s-soon.”

As he said it, they turned the corner of another switchback. Obi-Wan’s eyes landed on the lamps lighting the way to the village’s entrance. He let out a breath he didn’t know he had been holding and quickened his pace. Anakin had completely slumped forward in the saddle, but Obi-Wan was focused on getting to the village. 

At the front gates, Obi-Wan was met with two guards holding wooden spears that would never withstand a single swipe of a lightsaber, but even still, Obi-Wan hoped to avoid unsheathing his weapon. 

“You’re the Jedi Master?” the guard said before he could even introduce himself.

“Y-yes, I’ve come here with my Padawan to deliver s-supplies,” he said, trying in vain to stop his chattering teeth. 

“We’ve been expecting you, please, come in.”

Obi-Wan sighed in relief and entered the now open gates, leading the fathier behind him. 

A tall man came jogging towards them. Or was it two tall men? Obi-Wan’s vision was blurring and he was having a hard time concentrating on anything that wasn’t the pounding in his head or the searing pain in his side.

“Master Jedi!” the stranger greeted. “It’s wonderful to have you. Thank you so much for coming.”

Obi-Wan wanted to greet the man in return but was finding it difficult to formulate a sentence. His whole world was tilting slightly and black spots had formed in his vision. He wanted to tell the stranger his name, but all that came out was a pained whimper. 

“Master Jedi?” the stranger asked with concern. 

With that, Obi-Wan let go of the fathier’s halter, staggered forward a few paces and collapsed on the ground at the stranger’s feet. 

* * *

Anakin awoke to a dull ache in his head and his leg. He adjusted his eyes to the dark of the room, only lit by a small fire pit in the center. 

Panic overtook him. He was in pain, confused and he didn’t know where he was. He sat up quickly and immediately regretted the action as his head spun and his stomach churned. 

He squeezed his eyes shut and hugged his arms around himself tightly. When he finally felt better enough to open his eyes again, his gaze swept the room.

He was lying on a cot in a small building with a dirt floor. The walls looked to be made of some sort of lumber and the roof was thatched. The fire in the center of the room kept the small space warm, but Anakin pulled his heavy blankets tighter around him. He looked to his side and saw Obi-Wan lying asleep, or perhaps unconscious, on an identical cot an arms-length away from his. The older Jedi was completely bundled in blankets, except for his arm which had an IV needle attached to it. Anakin could only see his face and arm, but his skin looked pale. Both of them had been cleaned off and put in what appeared to be white linen shirts and trousers. 

“Master?” he called out weakly, his voice hoarse from disuse. He cleared his throat. “Obi-Wan?”

Obi-Wan did not stir.

_ Master, are you alright?  _ Anakin pleaded through their bond.

Obi-Wan was certainly alive, but his side of their bond remained quiet. 

Just as Anakin was attempting to climb out of bed, a woman entered the small room.

“Oh you’re awake!” she exclaimed in surprise. 

Anakin breathed heavily, scared and uncertain about the stranger in front of him. 

“You’re okay, sweetheart. I’m a healer, I’m here to help you and your friend.”

“What happened?”

“Well, we’re not too sure about that, though we have our suspicions. You were unconscious when you arrived and your friend collapsed at our mayor’s feet before he could even introduce himself. Looks like you two got into some trouble though. Based on the mud, I’m guessing it was a landslide?”

Anakin nodded, but then squeezed his eyes shut when the room tilted.

“Here, take some of these. It will make you feel better,” the healer said, handing him two pills and a glass of water. 

He looked at it suspiciously.

“It’s alright, they’re just painkillers,” she said. “You have a pretty bad concussion and I’m sure that leg of yours doesn’t feel that great either. We set it and wrapped it while you were unconscious, so it should heal correctly as long as you stay off of it.”

“What about Obi-Wan?” Anakin said, unable to hide the nervousness in his voice. “That’s his name, it’s Obi-Wan Kenobi and I’m Anakin Skywalker,” he quickly added.

“Well, it’s a pleasure to meet you both, I’m Layla. I’m the head healer in this town. And as for Obi-Wan, he was much worse off than you.”

Anakin’s fear spiked. He hadn’t realized Obi-Wan had been badly injured. He walked the whole way, he seemed fine,  _ he said he was fine.  _ Then Anakin remembered hearing him scream on the landslide, but he had been too involved in his own pain to dwell on it. He felt the sick feeling of shame and guilt bubbling inside of him.

“Is he going to be alright?” 

“I think so. But that stab wound gave me a bit of trouble.”

“Stab wound?!” Anakin exclaimed.

“Well, I don’t know that he was stabbed by another being, but he certainly had a puncture wound.”

“What… I didn’t… why didn’t he…” Anakin faltered. His head was spinning and not just from the concussion. Why would Obi-Wan keep that from him? He wasn’t a kid anymore, why didn’t Obi-Wan confide in him? 

“He’s responded well to the treatments so far. He’s very strong,” Layla interjected, noticing his panic rising. “But we need to keep a close eye on him. He lost a lot of blood and had nearly become hypothermic by the time he got here. We were able to patch up that puncture wound and we have him on fluids.”

“So he’s going to be okay?”

“I’m very optimistic, though he’s also developed a cough. However, I suspect that started a day or two ago. Hopefully, he can fight off the cough before it turns into something worse. His body is weak right now and is more susceptible to illness. Only time will tell.”

This did nothing to calm Anakin’s nerves. He tried taking centering breaths as Obi-Wan taught him, but it was hard to focus. 

“It’s still the middle of the night,” Layla said. “You should get some more rest. Don’t worry about your friend. I’m going to take good care of him alright?”

“Okay,” Anakin said quietly. 

Layla left the room and Anakin was once again alone with Obi-Wan.

_ Master?  _ He tried again in vain. Obi-Wan remained silent. 

Anakin settled back into the cot and, somewhat against his will, fell back asleep. 

* * *

Obi-Wan resisted the call to consciousness the best he could. 

Everything hurt. He felt weak and tired and cold. His body shivered underneath what felt like a mountain of blankets that were not doing him much good. He just wanted to sleep. To stop feeling everything. To forget all about his responsibilities and…

Obi-Wan immediately cut off his self-indulgent line of thinking when he remembered that he had not been alone when he collapsed so pathetically at some stranger’s feet. 

“Anakin?” he whispered hoarsely as he sat up quickly. He looked around and sighed in relief when he saw Anakin lying asleep in a cot right next to his own. 

From his position, Obi-Wan did his best to look over his Padawan. His leg was bandaged and wrapped, and the wound on his face had been stitched up and cleaned out. He looked otherwise okay, but Obi-Wan knew he was probably dealing with a concussion. 

“Nice to see you awake, Obi-Wan,” a female voice said, entering the small room. 

“Hello,” Obi-Wan said hoarsely. “Who are…”

“I’m Layla, I’m this town’s head healer.”

“Where am I?”

“You’re in our makeshift medical suite. You see, our actual medical center was taken out by landslides. We were able to salvage some medical supplies but not everything.”

He coughed weakly, grimacing at the heavy feeling in his chest. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. “We didn’t bring medical supplies.”

“It’s okay, we summoned another relief team for medical supplies. We needed food more urgently. I thank you for bringing us the rations. It seems it was not the easiest journey.”

“Not quite,” Obi-Wan half-smiled.

“How are you feeling?”

“I’m alright, I’ll heal quickly.”

The statement would have been more convincing had it not been followed by coughing and a sharp gasp when the motion pulled on his puncture wound. He looked at Layla sheepishly. 

She narrowed her eyes at him and placed a hand on his forehead. “That’s not good.”

He quirked an eyebrow at her.

“I’m afraid you’re going to get worse before you get better, Obi-Wan,” she said with sympathy. “I don’t need medical equipment to tell me you have a fever. Do you still feel cold?”

He nodded demurely. 

“That’s normal. Your body is losing a battle with some sort of bug. You’re probably just going to have to ride it out. In my medical opinion, you’re developing bronchitis, but without the proper tests and equipment, I can’t confirm this.” 

“Alright,” he said hoarsely. “Anakin and I, we need to get back home, where is our fathier?”

“I’m sorry Master Jedi, but neither one of you is in a condition to go back down that mountain right now,” Layla said. “As for your fathier, our mayor brought her to the stables. She’s being fed and groomed. Don’t worry about her, she’s being taken care of.”

Obi-Wan nodded. He was starting to feel drowsy again.

“Rest, Master Jedi,” Layla said softly.

Obi-Wan shot one last anxious glance at Anakin before he let himself submit to sleep. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come talk to me on tumblr! [@stolen-pen-name23](https://stolen-pen-name23.tumblr.com/)


	3. Children Get Older

_ Red.  _

_ Red ray shields. _

“Master!”

_ Red lightsabers. _

_ Trapped. Helpless. Useless.  _

“Obi-Wan!”

_ Red blood. _

_ “He is the chosen one.” _

_ Shock. Grief. Fear. _

“Obi-Wan, wake up!  _ Please!”  _

Obi-Wan gasped awake. He looked around wildly, eyes widened in panic. He breathed heavily, but it quickly devolved into a coughing fit.

“Master?” Anakin said with concern.

“I’m…” Obi-Wan tried to get out between coughs. “I’m alright, Anakin.”

“You were having a nightmare,” Anakin said softly. 

Obi-Wan got his breathing under control. He palmed at his face and realized he had been crying in his sleep. His cheeks flushed. “It’s alright, Anakin.” 

“Was it about Qui-Gon?”

The boy was perceptive. 

“Yes,” Obi-Wan said, trying to hide the pain in his voice. For the most part, Obi-Wan had made his peace with Qui-Gon’s death, but he always seemed to dream about him when he was sick. “It’s alright, Anakin. It’s all in the past.”

“Clearly not all of it.”

Anakin looked at him sympathetically and Obi-Wan averted his gaze. He didn’t like it when Anakin looked at him like that. With sorrow. With pity. 

“How is your leg?”

Anakin furrowed his brows at the quick change of subject. “It still hurts. But it’s better.”

“Does your head feel any better?”

“Yes, Master.” 

“Good. That’s good.” 

“What about you?”

“I’m alright, Anakin. Don’t worry about me.”

Obi-Wan would have been able to feel Anakin’s anger flare even if he wasn’t Force-sensitive. He braced himself for Anakin’s tumultuous emotions. 

“Stop lying to me,” he said bitterly.

“Anakin, I’m…”

“No!” Anakin cut him off. “Why didn’t you tell me you were hurt when we were coming up the mountain? Why didn’t you tell me you were getting sick before we even started?”

Obi-Wan inwardly grimaced. Anakin was worked up now. “I…” Obi-Wan began.

“Oh, and how could I forget? _You have a_ _stab wound._ Were you just not going to mention that to me?”

“Ana-”

“Do you not trust me?”

“Of course I…” Obi-Wan coughed miserably. “Of course I trust you, Anakin.”

“What would happen to me if I lost you, huh?”

“Anakin, it’s alright. You’re not losing me, I’ll heal from this.”

“What if you didn’t? What if you left me? What if you left me just like Qui-Gon left you?”

The look of surprise on Anakin’s face revealed that he hadn’t meant to say that. The words stung all the same.

The time after Qui-Gon’s death had been one of the worst times of Obi-Wan’s life. He was lonely and scared and saddled with arguably the most challenging Padawan in the order. Not to mention that he had still felt like a Padawan himself. Anakin was vaguely aware of Obi-Wan’s struggles through that time, but he had largely been involved with his own problems. Still, Anakin clearly regretted what he had said.

“Master, I didn’t mean…”

“I know, Anakin.”

“No, Obi-Wan, I’m sorry. I’m just… I’m just scared.”

“I know,” pain leaked into his tone. “It’s alright. I’m sorry I wasn’t more forthcoming with you. You’re not a youngling anymore. I just want to protect you.” 

“Hiding your injuries from me is not protecting me.” 

“I’m sorry, Anakin,” Obi-Wan said around a cough. He was exhausted and was fighting off the call of sleep.

“It’s alright,” Anakin said softly. “Get some rest, Master.”

Obi-Wan nodded and allowed himself to drift off.

* * *

Over the next few days, the healer came back intermittently to administer to both Anakin and Obi-Wan, but for the most part, the two were alone. 

Obi-Wan was getting stronger with each passing day but was not quite healed. Likewise, Anakin was essentially back to normal, but his leg was still giving him trouble. When Anakin was asleep, Obi-Wan reached his hand over to him and did his best to let the Force flow through him to Anakin. He focused on knitting the bone back together, imagined it whole and properly functioning. 

Obi-Wan didn’t know how long he was doing this but after a while, he felt himself gasp and drop his hand back down to his side. He breathed heavily, sweat dripping down his face. His whole body shook.

Anakin woke up to Obi-Wan coughing violently.

“Master?” Anakin whispered nervously. He handed him a glass of water. “Here, sip on this.” 

“Thanks… Anakin…” he said, his voice a rasp.

“What happened? I thought you were getting better. Why are you…” realization seemed to dawn on Anakin. “My leg… it doesn’t hurt anymore.”

Obi-Wan looked relieved at that.

“Master… what did you do?” Anakin said slowly. 

“What I could.”

“Master, did you Force heal my leg?” 

“That depends.”

“Depends on what?” Anakin asked incredulously.

“Can you walk on it?”

Anakin slowly swung both of his legs to the side of the bed. He gently put pressure on them and started to stand up. He took a few wobbly steps before hitting a normal stride. “Yes, it appears I can walk on it.”

“Then yes, I Force healed your leg.” 

“You are  _ unbelievable. _ ” 

“You know, if I healed anyone else’s broken leg, they would probably thank me.”

“ _ Most people _ don’t know that Force healing pulls from your own strength,  _ which you need right now. _ ” 

“Anakin, I’m already getting better. You were likely going to take longer to heal than me. I just sped along the process.”

“I thought  _ I _ was the reckless one.”

“It wasn’t reckless, I knew what I was doing, Padawan,” Obi-Wan said defensively. “I’ll be fine by tomorrow and now you will be too. We can go home.” 

“Alright Master. Unless you get worse, we’ll go home tomorrow,” Anakin gave in. He knew he would never win with Obi-Wan when it came to something as trivial as his own health and well-being. 

Obi-Wan nodded contentedly and closed his eyes. 

* * *

Obi-Wan gently stroked the fathier’s neck. He had been able to feel her joy when she saw them walk into the stables. He had a feeling she could sense him through the Force as he could sense her. He looked into her gentle eyes and expressed his gratitude to her through the Force. 

_ You’re going to get to go home now. _

She brayed quietly and nuzzled her head into his chest. Obi-Wan had always loved animals. Even though it would be far more convenient to have a ship or a speeder, he didn’t mind traveling on fathier-back. Being around living things that were pure in the Force always brought him strength – a trait he had learned from Qui-Gon. He was almost healed except for a lingering cough, but the pure light coming from the animal gave him something to focus on. 

“Anakin, are you ready to go?” 

“Are you?”

Obi-Wan smirked, “Come now, Padawan, don’t get smart with your old Master.” 

“I learn from the best.”

Obi-Wan smiled as he swung his leg over the fathier’s back. He reached his hand down and Anakin gladly took it. With a little less grace than Obi-Wan, Anakin climbed on the animal’s back. He had always been more comfortable behind the wheel of a speeder, so he let Obi-Wan take the reins. 

As they trotted out of the town, they were stopped by a tall man who Obi-Wan thought looked vaguely familiar. 

“Hello Master Jedi,” the man greeted. “Before you leave, I just wanted to thank you and your Padawan for coming all this way to help us. There aren’t many of us, but our town would have starved without the extra rations you brought in. I know it came at a great physical toll to you both, so I want to express my sincerest gratitude.”

“Of course,” Obi-Wan said, his cheeks turning scarlet. He was always uncomfortable with flattery. “I presume you’re the mayor of this town?”

“Yes, my apologies for not greeting you sooner. I’ve been dealing with small problems throughout the town.”

“Don’t worry about it. Thank you for letting us outstay our welcome.”

“Nonsense! You two are always welcome here.”

“Thank you, Sir,” Obi-Wan said even though he had no real desire to return to this cold, rainy, miserable planet.

“Please, be careful on your journey.”

“We’ll certainly try our best,” Obi-Wan smiled. 

He clicked his teeth and the fathier began the long descent down the mountain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading!!! :)


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